Minutes of Waking
by Rambutans
Summary: During the time it takes the Mu to travel to Nazca, Soldier Blue has several lucid, waking moments during which he is endlessly pestered by absolutely everyone - especially Jomy. Although, being who he is, Soldier Blue doesn't really mind.


A/N: It's been awhile since I saw the anime/read the manga, so you'll have to forgive me for any mistakes here. I'm a bit fuzzy on the exact time frames and the specific nature of some events, but I'm mostly sure that this is an at least plausible chain of occurrences. It's mostly Jomy/Blue, but I guess it could be Blue/Leo and Blue/Physis a very tiny bit during some moments. You'd have to really delude yourself, though, to see it.

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><p>Whenever Soldier Blue opened his eyes, it was like a holiday on the Shangri La. Everyone would come to visit him, or at least, everyone would try. Jomy watched them file into the Blue Room, the first time it happened. They came in clusters and they came by themselves and sometimes they never stopped coming. Harley and Physis stayed especially long.<p>

It had been three-hundred-and-sixty-four days since they left Ataraxia, and Blue had been asleep for one day short of a year. No one had thought he would ever wake up, and yet here he was, pale and thin in his bed; the evanescent vision of a living ghost.

When there was a recession in the river of his visitors, Blue beckoned Jomy to sit beside him. He smiled his ethereal smile and Jomy looked away because, suddenly, he felt very much like a child again. It had been hard, after Blue left, to put aside his immaturities and enter not only the realm of adulthood, but leadership as well. Jomy knew he was doing a foul job of things, but he also knew he was doing a much less foul job of things than he had been doing when he first arrived on the Shangri La. Yet, here in this moment, sitting on the edge of Soldier Blue's narrow bed and being watched with that pleased expression, Jomy almost forgot he had ever been Soldier at all.

Then Blue opened his mouth and spoke. The words came out like a gentle stream of affection, as they always did when Blue praised him for something. It was just about more than Jomy could take, being told that he had done a better job than Blue himself could have. Jomy suspected very seriously that Blue was lying about that. And then Blue told him how proud he was, and that could not have imagined anyone more fit to lead the Mu than Jomy, not even himself, and the flattery and acclamations went on and on to the point that Jomy thought Blue was being a bit dramatic about the whole thing.

Even as endless as Blue's compliments were, they laid Jomy's mind to such incredible rest because he knew Blue never said a single thing out of insincerity. And it ended as eventually Blue talked himself back into sleep, having moved on from the subject of Jomy's leadership, to dreams of Terra – a topic which he seemed to be able to speak about for eternity, or at least, until he tired himself out with it.

It was the moment Soldier Blue's eyes slid shut that Leo appeared at the other end of the Blue Room's winding pathway.

_I'm too late_?

It didn't need to be a question. Leo knew, and Jomy knew that Leo knew. Even so, Jomy nodded and wiped a pair of stray tears from his cheeks. They left tiny wet smears on the fingertips of his gloves and he reflected on them for only a moment before standing and turning to smile at Leo.

"You should stay with him for a bit, anyway." Jomy said. "I know he would like to have your company." His gaze returned to Blue for a short time and Jomy bent down to fuss with his sheets and covers which had been ruffled during the festivities of the day. Then he stepped around the bed and made his way towards the entrance and Leo. "I'm going to make sure the elders haven't done anything awful during my absence."

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><p>It was a sight that had the entire ship in an uproar; Soldier and Soldier walking down the hall, side by side, their red and blue capes swishing to and fro as they went.<p>

Jomy always visited Blue twice a day: In the morning when he woke up, and at night before he slept. Due to his unique job description, the hours of Jomy's waking and sleeping tended to vary drastically, and so when he came waltzing into the Blue Room at nearly five o'clock in the proverbial morning to find Blue sitting up in his bed with the sheets pooled all around him, Jomy nearly planted his face on the floor trying to keep his footing.

"I'm not meant to be awake at such ridiculous hours in the morning." Blue said, and then started when Jomy tripped on the heel of his boot some feet away. The soldier stared for a moment before letting his face melt into a graceful smile. "How long?" he asked, watching Jomy tug the wrinkles out of his vest as he righted himself.

Jomy blinked and then cast his gaze away from Blue. "Three years."

"Ah," Blue's eyes were sent skyward, to the infinite ceiling. "That explains the crick in my neck, I suppose."

_Jokes_, Jomy seethed silently. _Does nothing unnerve this man?_

"Jomy, I would have thought you to be better at shielding your thoughts after three years." The bemusement in Blue's voice was suffocating and Jomy would have choked on it if he had not first choked on the fact that Soldier Blue was actually getting_ out_ of bed.

Without thought, Jomy's legs carried him forward with open arms ready to catch Blue should he not be able to stand. The gesture, although kind, was in vain as Blue appeared to be sufficiently stable on his own two feet, if not a little bit shaky.

"I think I would very much like a breakfast."

They ate with Harley and Leo and every single Mu that could fit into the mess hall at a given time. Blue looked tired and, despite professing to be hungry, didn't eat very much at all, but when he spoke there was life in his voice and excitement that had not been heard since before Jomy became Soldier.

Afterwards, he traversed the ship insisting that this time _he_ would be the one to visit the Shangri La's resident crew, as opposed to the other way around. Jomy, of course, demanded to accompany him the entire time.

Physis was the first to receive a visit from Soldier Blue. She gasped when she sensed Blue's presence, her chair scraping the marble floor as she stood and rushed to envelop him in a delicate hug. Blue had to hustle up the stairs to get to her so she did not end up stumbling off of them in her haste. A tender smile crossed Jomy's lips while he watched them, restraining his surprise at Blue's sudden agility. Alfred stood beside him, looking on with ill disguised jealousy.

The pair chatted for so long that Jomy worried they may not have time to visit anyone else before Blue would expend what little energy he had left. Eventually, though, Blue stood to leave, planting a soft kiss on Physis' forehead before stepping wearily down the stairs and saying farewell to the silently weeping blind woman.

A good amount of time was spent in the gardens with the children who were hardly children anymore. Still, Carina and the other young ones seemed to never grow too old to play silly, immature games with Jomy who was always thankful for an opportunity to regress back to his childhood, and Blue seemed to get a decent amount of amusement from watching Jomy repeatedly make a fool out of himself by getting too competitive.

Secretly, Jomy worried that Blue would fall asleep, sitting lazily under one of the trees and greeting passer bys with a warm smile and the occasionally short talk. By the time the children grew bored with Jomy's antics, Blue was still awake and his smile widened almost imperceptibly as Jomy strode over to him, extending a hand toward the other Soldier to help him to his feet.

"I'm feeling a bit tired already," Blue said.

At the words, Jomy's heart began to beat so hard he worried it might burst, and he shook his head as though to deny having heard them. In response, Blue slipped his hand into Jomy's and squeezed; an attempt to alleviate the pleading look in the other's eyes. All it did was move Jomy's heartbeat from his chest to his hand as blood rushed back into his numb fingers – Blue had an unnervingly tight grip for someone who frequently slipped into a coma.

"There is one thing I would like to do before I succumb to my apparent and unfortunate long term narcolepsy."

Jomy could almost not stand the way Blue spoke so flippantly about the situation, but he swallowed his uneasiness and nodded.

There was a piano in the room that Blue led them to. It was enormous and made of glass illuminated by the gentle blue lights on the floor.

"You play?" Jomy asked, lingering behind Blue who had sat down on the bench and was trailing his fingers across the ivory keys with an almost uncomfortably flirtatious look in his eye.

"A bit," the soldier tore his gaze from the instrument to smile at Jomy. "I haven't played in a hundred years or so. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit out of practice."

Despite himself, Jomy couldn't stop the laugh from stumbling out of his lips and he went to sit beside Blue.

"This is actually Harley's piano," Blue said as his fingers began to entice a quiet melody from the hammers.

"You should ask him to play for you sometime. He's much better than I am."

Jomy had a hard time believing anyone could be better than Blue at anything. Although, he thought that this particular belief might stem from the fact that he more or less worshiped the other Soldier and was thus incapable of noticing any flaws that Blue may or may not have had. He felt somewhere in the back of his mind that this was not a healthy way to think about a person, but Jomy could not muster enough strength to care.

"I imagine he would throw a fit at me if he knew I had told you that." Blue went on. "You should definitely pester him about it."

"I will write down a date for it in my schedule." Jomy said.

Blue's smile was one of approval and Jomy sat silent, content to simply listen to Blue's fingers weave out intricate songs and spells and hymns that all ran together like the telling of such a long story. The sounds were soft and quiet and then loud and passionate and if Blue did make any mistakes, Jomy did not notice a single one.

At a point, Jomy had closed his eyes so that he might better soak up the lyrical heaven that was seeping from Blue's music and so when the sound suddenly stopped for half a beat and then came crashing back in a clash of discord notes and out of tune keys, Jomy jumped so badly that he nearly fell off the bench. Instantly, his eyes rooted themselves to Blue's form. The soldier lay slumped forward, his cheek resting on a section of keys that were resounding unpleasant harmony.

His first instinct was to check Blue's pulse and Jomy fought with removing his glove for several agonizing seconds before pressing his fingers against the soft flesh of Soldier Blue's neck. A slow and shallow beat thumped timidly beneath Jomy's fingertips. Blue was only asleep. Again.

With a quivering sigh, Jomy slipped his glove back on and stood. He wanted so badly to scream and cry and throw one of his unfortunately infamous tantrums, but he knew better. Worrying everyone on the ship with his overactive emotions wouldn't do anyone any good. He should be thankful for the time that he had with Blue that day and not complain that it should have lasted longer.

To avoid being stared at – because strutting down the halls of the Shangri La with Soldier Blue unconscious in your arms tended to be something of an eye catcher – Jomy decided a better course of action would be to teleport himself and Blue directly to the Blue Room. So he did, and on that night, Soldier Blue was tucked back into his bed by the capable hands of Soldier Shin, who proceeded to mess about with the covers like a mother hen until he was adequately satisfied that Blue would be perfectly comfortable for as long as he decided to stay asleep.

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><p>It was a very long time before Blue's cardinal colored eyes saw the artificial light of day again. Jomy materialized in his room the moment that they did, having left a now very bewildered Harley and the elders in the middle of another heated argument about Nazca.<p>

"How are you feeling today, Blue?" Jomy asked, striding over to kneel beside Blue's bed.

By way of answer, Blue smiled kindly at him. _How long, this time_?

Jomy's peaceful expression faltered for a timeless moment, and then he said, "five years."

_Not so long_. Blue's eyes slowly slid closed and Jomy's chest tightened for several seconds until he realized that he could still hear the quiet and gentle whisper of Blue's thoughts circling through his mind.

"We haven't found Terra yet, Blue." Jomy said, settling down on the floor and resting his arms on the edge of Blue's bed. "But we've settled down on a planet called Nazca and… I mean to stay here. I know it's not what you wanted and I understand if you're disappointed in me, but-"

_I could never be disappointed in you, Jomy. I trust your decisions wholeheartedly_

Jomy hid his face in his arms to keep Blue from noticing his rosy cheeks, not that Blue could see them with his eyes closed, but Jomy imagined that his face must be as red as a Nazca tomato and it would surely be only more embarrassing if Blue saw that.

"Anyway…" Jomy went on, and he began to speak about all of the best things about Nazca, which ended him up speaking of the aforementioned tomatoes for a lengthy amount of time until he moved onto the topics of Carina and her baby, Tony who Jomy adored endlessly. He promised Blue several times over that when Tony was old enough to travel to the ship, Jomy would bring him and Carina to visit Blue so he could see just how amazing Tony was.

Blue had only enough energy to respond with wordless affirmation and feelings and Jomy knew that it would not be long before Blue's warm and kind thoughts slipped away like wisps of smoke from a freshly extinguished candle.

\Jomy found himself still talking by the time he realized that he had not felt Blue's presence for a long while in the conversation. Silently, Jomy stood, looking Blue once over to make sure that he was rightly situated and fully covered by his blankets before reluctantly returning to Harley and the Elders.

* * *

><p>The next time Soldier Blue woke, he died. Everyone knew the moment it happened. Blue's presence was so strong Jomy thought that it could be felt across all of space and time and when it suddenly vanished in a single terrifying instance, the Mu felt as though a piece of their collective souls had been torn from them. The first moment they experienced terror, and the second, overwhelming grief. Everyone knew the day would eventually pass, but no one had yet come to terms with it.<p>

Jomy didn't know how to feel. The backlash of everything that had happened was so wholly consuming, he could almost not feel anything at all, but there was a nag in the back of his chest that whispered Blue's name quietly over and over again. The name crept into his lungs and choked Jomy in his throat and when it left his tongue it was silent and dead. He hadn't even left them his body.

It was debatable, Jomy thought, how long it might take a soul to traverse a galaxy, but if he had to guess, Jomy would say that it took a soul exactly two days and three hours because that was how much time had passed since Blue's death when Jomy felt his presence for the very last time.

Lying sleepless in his bed as he had been doing the past nights and, he assumed, for many nights to come, Jomy reeled at the force of the thoughts and the feeling of Blue, in his mind in his heart, in every waking part of him. It was painful and crushing and it was saccharine and sorrowful, but it was content and hopeful and proud and it felt like heaven had wrapped itself around him and it promised to be the hands that caught him every time and anytime that Jomy ever felt unsure or upset or in need of simple, silent, and eternal support until the very end of every thing in the universe.


End file.
